The Amalfi Coast: Where to Stay, Eat and Disappear
The most beautiful coastline in Europe is also the most crowded. Here's how to have it to yourself.
There's a particular heartbreak reserved for the traveller who arrives in Positano in mid-August expecting la dolce vita and finds instead a vertical traffic jam of ten thousand people all trying to photograph the same church dome. The Amalfi Coast really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In high season it's also one of the most oversubscribed, and the two facts are not unrelated.
Go in the Shoulders
The single most important decision is when. May, early June, and late September deliver warm sea, open restaurants, and a fraction of the crowds. July and August are for people who enjoy queueing for a lemon granita in 35-degree heat. Choose wisely.
Stay High, Not Low
Positano and Amalfi town sit at sea level, which means noise, crowds, and a permanent scrum at the beach clubs. Ravello, perched a thousand feet above, is the antidote: cool, green and quiet, with the coast's finest gardens and the most jaw-dropping views. Base yourself up here and drop down to the water only when you feel like it.
For meals, skip the harbourfront tourist traps and climb. The best food on the coast is inland and uphill, in family trattorias serving handmade scialatielli and fish caught that morning.
Where to Stay
The Belmond Hotel Caruso in Ravello is an 11th-century palazzo with the most photographed infinity pool in Italy. It's the coast at its most rarefied, above the day-trippers, the traffic and very nearly everything else.
